


The Sunset Flip

by nekosd43



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Wrestling, Angst, Dream Logic, Friendship/Love, Gen, Hallucinations, Head Injury, I know almost nothing about wrestling, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Injury Recovery, Lost Love, Lotus Eaters, Memory Loss, Mental Health Issues, Questioning Reality, all a dream, die in a dream, hard work rewarded, meeting the goddess, support network
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-02-02
Packaged: 2018-09-19 06:12:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 15,331
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9422039
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nekosd43/pseuds/nekosd43
Summary: He had worked so hard for this.  So why did it feel like a dream?A sort-of-wrestling-AU for the Adventure Zone.Magnus does a heel-face-turn.  Merle polishes a diamond.  Julia is attacked by a bear.





	1. Look high, it's my last hope

**Author's Note:**

> First time with a multi-chapter fic!
> 
> I know almost nothing about wrestling because I haven't watched it since I was very little, so there will probably not be that much wrestling in this wrestling AU.
> 
> Good tunes to go with this: the album "Beat the Champ" by The Mountain Goats. Which is where chapter titles are coming from.

This was what he lived for, honestly.  The roar of the crowd. 

Magnus Burnsides held his arms high in the air, taking it all in.  The noise was deafening.  He stared out into the crowd, which was barely visible through the glare of the spotlight.  He could hear the sound of a chant starting to take form.

_I.  Mor. Ko._

_I! Mor! Ko!_

They loved him.  And he loved them.

He made his trademarked claw gesture, and they ate it up.  He had been doing this for a few years, but it had never been so satisfying.  He was a hero now.  Working up to his Heel-Face turn had been some of the best matches of his life, and after all his hard work, it finally had happened.  His dream of being a Face had finally come true.

“I’Morko!” the emcee cried, approaching him, “How do you do it?  What keeps you going?”

Magnus grabbed the mike and pointed into the crowd with a smile.  His bit had to be done almost entirely with his words and body language, since his eyes were covered by the mask.  That was okay though.  He wasn’t much of an actor, but for this, he didn’t have to be.

“Listen.  Respect above all else.  I protect those who can't protect themselves, and I respect Justice. That's I’Morko’s deal!”

They loved that.  They loved his gimmick almost as much as they loved him, and finally he felt like his persona and his personality matched.  I’Morko, protector of the weak.  Defender of the downtrodden.  It had been almost perfect that he had been given The Bear as his animal when he first joined, because bears defended what was theirs.  And that’s what he was.

He was a defender.

It wasn’t an act.

* * *

 

Backstage, the other wrestlers congratulated him on another match done.  It was a whirl of faces and slaps on the back and ruffled hair, and he took it all in.

“Great job Mags!”

“Nice pin my dude!”

“Great work out there Papa Bear!”

“You’re _killing_ it Magnus!”

He laughed and smiled with all of them.  This was his everything.  Or rather, his everything except…

_“I’m so proud of you, Little Bear!”_

He froze.  There she was.  Julia, back behind the crowd of coworkers, smiled and waved at him.  He felt himself moving towards her, parting the group like waves.  He pushed his mask back, pushed himself forward.  He had to reach her.  A feeling he couldn’t explain was overcoming him and he desperately needed to have her in his arms.

He collided with her, and held her tightly.  Her soft, dark hair stuck to his sweaty face as he buried himself in her.  She smelled like lavender and chalk, and she laughed and he felt it through his whole body.

"Magnus, what’s gotten _into_ you?” she laughed, pulling away and putting a hand to his cheek.  She smiled and her eyes sparkled and Magnus suddenly found himself confused.   _Why was she…_

“Jules I-” he stammered, running a hand up and down her arm, “What are you doing here?”

“The manager gave me a backstage pass,” she replied.  “I thought I might surprise you.”

Magnus furrowed his brow.  For a moment it had felt like… but no, here they were.  He pushed those thoughts out of his mind.  Of course she was here.  She was his _wife_ , it only made sense for her to be here.  He hugged her again.

“You okay Little Bear?”

“Yes.  Absolutely,” he sighed, “I just had a funny feeling for a moment, like.. I hadn’t seen you in a long time.”

Julia laughed and hit him softly in the chest.  “I saw you _right_ before the show you goof.  You’re just frazzled because you finally got your Turn!”

Magnus released her and smiled.  That was it.  That was why.  The match had been long, and it had felt like forever.  Things were different for him now.  His whole world was going to change.  Being a Face meant that he was in the spotlight now.  No wonder he felt strange.

He felt some of his coworkers pressing back into him, slapping him on the back and calling his name.  They wanted to go celebrate.

Filled with excitement, he scooped Julia up into his arms, lifting her off the floor and spinning her around.

“Help, I’m being attacked by a bear!” she laughed, and the gathered crowd laughed too.  He buried his face in hers again, covering her with kisses, and she laughed and laughed and everything felt so _right_ as she gripped his ridiculous costume, letting herself go as they spun.

Everything was _perfect_.

* * *

The night had been full of celebrations big and small.  Signing autographs outside the theater, dinner with the crew, many drinks after, a drunken kiss with Julia in a dark corner of the tavern as his manager pretended not to see them, a hasty run up to a room upstairs, a return to the group looking disheveled but absolutely delirious with joy.  Magnus felt like he was glowing, and seemed like Julia was too.  When they made it back to their table, his manager gave him a knowing wink and Magnus felt his whole face go red.

Julia gave him a gentle kiss on the cheek and Merle laughed again.

“You’re a lucky guy, Magnus.”

“What’s that, boss?”

Merle Highchurch had been his manager for as long as he could remember.  The stout little dwarf was getting on in years, but he was good with money and seemed to _get_ Magnus.  They didn’t talk much about anything but work, but Merle understood what made Magnus tick.  He was one of the few people who supported his campaign to change I’Morko’s image, even when the administration wasn’t too keen on the idea. 

“ _The boy is clearly a hero,”_ he had said, “ _Let him fucking be heroic!”_

“I said you’re a lucky guy,” he smiled, stroking his beard.

“I don’t know about lucky, we worked really hard for this,” Magnus stammered.

“I’m not talking about wrestling, you idiot,” he rolled his eyes behind his thick glasses.  Julia giggled.

“Thank you, Merle, for all the help you’ve given us,” she said, putting a hand on Magnus’ shoulder.  “When Magnus told me he wanted to become a wrestler I worried we wouldn’t make it through, but you’ve done so much and we are so grateful.”

“Yeah boss,” Magnus blurted out, “Thanks for believing in me!”

“Thanks for being so goddamn good at wrestling!” Merle laughed, grabbing his tankard.  “I just polished you up, you were already a diamond.”

Magnus grabbed his as well, and they clanked them together and took a long drink.

“I’m just happy to see you too crazy kids doing so well,” Merle sighed as he lowered his glass.  “Being young and in love is always a whirlwind, it’s nice to just watch it happen.”

“You married, old man?”

“Yeah but I don’t see the wife so much because of all the traveling.” Merle shrugged.  “Which is fine, as long as I come see her and the kids whenever I can.  She doesn’t really _get_ this.  Not like Julia, anyway!”

“I love the whole thing,” Julia laughed.  “The costumes, the excitement, the pageantry.  The fighting is a little scary, but I know it’s safe with the clerics on hand.  It’s just so great to watch my Little Bear being cheered on by everyone!”

“ _Little_ _Bear_ , huh?” Merle chuckled.

Magnus turned red again and smiled.  “I was Little Bear long before I was I’Morko.  Funny how that worked out.”

“ _Istus_ is funny like that,” Merle laughed, taking another drink.

Something about the way he said that made Magnus flinch. 

“Honey bear, are you okay?”

“Yeah I’m…” Magnus ran a hand over his sideburns.  Why was he still so sweaty?  Why did he suddenly feel _nauseous_?  Julia put a hand to his forehead.

“Honey you’re burning up, you feeling alright?”

Merle motioned towards one of the crew.  “Hey Greg get over here!”

Things seemed to be getting blurry.  Magnus felt himself slipping out of his seat.

“Holy shit someone call a cleric!”

“ _Magnus_!”

“Shit son, what’s wrong?”

As he blacked out, feeling hands grabbing him from all sides, he wasn’t totally sure.

* * *

_Magnus._

_Magnus you have to be strong._

_Respect above all else.  Protect those who can't protect themselves.  Respect Justice. That's your deal, remember?  That was_ our _deal._

 

_Magnus you have to wake up.  
_


	2. An Endless Dark Incline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus gets pinned. Merle admits clerical defeat. Tough Greg shows off some first aid skills.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title comes from "Choked Out" by The Mountain Goats.

_ What does it mean to you to be Supreme Champion? _

_ It means being strong enough to make the weak feel safe. _

* * *

Magnus sat up with a start.

“Hang on there big guy!” a voice cried, putting a hand on his chest and pushing him back down.  “You’re not going anywhere.”

On his back, staring at the ceiling, Magnus took inventory for a second.  He wasn’t where he was when he blacked out.  For one, he was in a bed.  As his vision slowly came into focus, he realized that he was back at the Chaos Stadium, probably in the medical ward.  Vaguely he realized he was no longer dressed, and that something warm was wrapped around his hand.  He tried to sit up again, and once again a hand pushed him back down.

“I’m not kidding, don’t get up,” the voice said again.  “I will use a spell slot, I give no shits.”

Magnus tried to look down the length of the bed without lifting up his neck.  It was difficult, but he managed to see who was keeping him in place.  It was an elf, dressed in the standard Chaos Stadium crew outfit.  He had no idea who he was, but something about him seemed familiar.  Probably the fact that all those dudes looked alike after awhile.  The elf was holding him down with one hand and checking a clipboard with the other.

“What… what happened?” Magnus muttered, suddenly becoming aware that his hand was being held.  He turned his head to see Julia, tired but smiling, carefully rubbing the back of his hand with her thumbs.

“Concussion my dude,” the elf replied, “One too many hits to the dome tonight.”

Julia squeezed his hand.  “They think it happened when Moonbeam did the chokeslam on you in the second round.”

Magnus tried to remember back through the haze of the evening, and vaguely remembered being lifted into the air by the Bugbear and slammed onto the mat.  Normally, a throw like that was perfectly safe.  Lots of show for the crowds, very little actual danger to the wrestler as long as both parties were prepared and aware.  He knew it was coming, but it still caught him off guard, and his head did make contact.  He hadn’t thought anything of it at the time.

“I felt totally fine though,” he said, going through the memory again.

“That’s the thing about concussions,” the elf took his hand off Magnus’ chest.  “Sometimes they linger before they make themselves known.”

“Are you a cleric?” Magnus asked.

The elf laughed.  “Oh fuck no, Pinstripe just asked me to keep an eye on you and make sure you didn’t get out of bed.”

For a moment, Magnus had no idea who he was talking about.  But gradually he remembered that Pinstripe had been Merle’s wrestling name, back in the old days.

“Merle went to get a more experienced healer,” Julia explained.  “Greg helped me get you back here from the tavern.”

“And Greg is…”

The elf waved.  “Boy’s call me Tough Greg.  I sometimes work spotlight.  Don’t need to introduce yourself, already know all about you.”

Magnus lifted the hand Julia wasn’t holding and put it to his forehead.  There was some sort of bandage wrapped around it.

“Is it serious?”

Julia shook her head.  “I mean, I’m worried about you, but Merle said a halfway decent cleric can fix you up no problem.”

“So  _ not _ him.”

“Let’s say he didn’t think it was in his wheelhouse.”

Magnus let his hand drop to his side and gazed up at the ceiling again.

“Anyway bubbale, Pinstripe told me to tell you when you woke up not to sit up too fast, and that your braincase is gonna be a little funny for a bit.”

Magnus raised his eyebrows.

“Funny like how?”

“I dunno.  Funny like weird.  You might see or hear some things, or misremember shit.  He said to just take it easy.”

Funny like weird.  He did feel funny.  Things had felt pretty normal and then suddenly he had blacked out.  And for a second, right before he had gone unconscious… he thought he had heard something.

Someone asking him to do… something.

He couldn’t really remember.

“Well, this was a little too much excitement for one night,” Julia sighed with relief.  “Thank goodness you were about to start the off season anyway, it’ll give you some time to relax, Little Bear.”

Something about that made a memory spring up in his mind.  Something Merle had said just before he had passed out.

“Yeah… Hey Julia?  Who is Istus?”

“Hm?”  She seemed confused by the question.  It occurred to Magnus that while that was the last thing he clearly remembered, it hadn’t stuck with Julia quite the same way.

“Merle said ‘ _ Istus is funny _ ’ when he found out you call me Little Bear.”

She shook her head.  “Sorry, I don’t think I know, but he’ll be back soon.”

Magnus decided it wasn’t worth getting into.

He lay there for a little while longer (mostly at the insistence of Tough Greg) until Merle returned with another Cleric.  They both fussed over him for a bit, Magnus insisted that he was alert and fine.  The visiting cleric looked in both of his eyes and checked under his bandages before casting Cure Moderate Wounds and placing her hands on his temples.  He felt a tingle in his brain, sort of like brainfreeze.  Then she checked his eyes one more time, and gave him the go ahead to sit up.

“There may be some lingering memory issues and hallucinatory effects,” she warned, heading out of the room.  “You’ll be fine, just take it easy for a few days and it should sort itself out.”

Julia handed Magnus his shirt, which he pulled over his head slowly.  He felt weirdly heavy.  

Merle tutted and hummed like a mother hen.  “You gave me quite the scare there, Burnsides.”

Magnus curled his legs up and swung them off the bed.  He was in his undergarments still, but it wasn’t like Merle hadn’t seen him change into his costume a thousand times before.

“Sorry, I-”

Merle shook his head.  “Don’t apologize, it’s my fault for not realizing you took that hit too hard.”

Magnus thought again back to the chokeslam.  Yeah he had hit his head when Moonbeam had dropped him, but it honestly hadn’t felt that much worse than any other little goof up.  It was hard to think that a small bump on the head had done so much damage.

“Well if we’re all done here, Greg is gonna head out.”

Magnus turned to look at the elf now heading towards the door.

“Maybe I’ll see you around?” Magnus said, not entirely sure why.  He didn’t want Greg to leave for some reason, which was silly.  He didn’t even  _ know _ Greg.  This was literally the first time they had interacted.

“I mean, the whole point of my job is for you  _ not _ to see me, but yeah.”  Greg shrugged and ducked out of the room.

Magnus stood and finished putting on his pants, all the while letting Julia flit around him carefully, checking his movements and watching his eyes.  She was afraid he was going to pass out again, but he felt pretty normal.  He let her fuss over him for a moment longer before catching her cheek in his hand.

“I’m okay Jules.”

“I know I just…” she smiled, but it was sad.  Magnus hated it.  “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

He took his other hand to her face and kissed her forehead.   _ Gods preserve _ , she was beautiful.  How had he gotten so lucky?  How had fate been so kind?

_ She hasn’t. _

He looked around, startled by the unfamiliar voice, but it was just the three of them.

“Magnus are you okay?”

“I’m…” he remembered what Greg had said.   _ You might see or hear some things _ .  It was the concussion.  He shook his head.  He was still healing.  He laced his fingers into Julia’s hair and smiled.  “I’m okay.  Let’s go back to the inn.”

Merle pat them both on the shoulder and headed out.  Magnus waved him goodbye, realizing he hadn’t bothered to ask about Merle’s strange expression.  He guessed it didn’t matter too much anyway.  He was already starting to forget that memory too.

“Come on Little Bear,” Julia whispered with a smile as he continued to run his fingers through her tangles.  “You have the strangest look on your face.”

“Do I?” he asked, suddenly aware of a dull ringing in his ears.  He looked Julia in the eye, and once again felt a wave of panic overcome him, just as it did right after the match.  A moment of uncertainty as to why she was here and why he was with her.

“Honestly?  It looks like you saw a ghost.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not playing my cards very close to my chest on this one.


	3. Battle Cry Rising From Your Tounge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus listens to an inner voice. Klaarg hugs it out. Merle stands by.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this chapter title comes from "Animal Mask" by The Mountain Goats.

Everything felt off balance.

Magnus lay in bed with his wife, who was fast asleep and curled into his chest.  She radiated a warmth that was addictive to him.  Everything about her was.  He couldn’t imagine a life without her, without her presence.

So why was his mind so set on imagining it anyway?

He had been warned about the lingering effects of a concussion.  Hearing things or seeing things that weren’t there was expected.  Misremembering other things was also normal.  The cleric he had seen should have taken care of the major trauma, but brains were weird and needed time to bounce back.  It had been a few days though, and the intruding thoughts hadn’t gone.

Maybe he had been hit harder than he thought.

It caught him off guard constantly.  They would be together, eating breakfast or walking in the market or chatting with friends and then it would happen.  Suddenly, and without warning, Magnus would be overcome with this  _ feeling _ .  This feeling like Julia wasn’t supposed to be there.  Or that this wasn’t  _ actually _ Julia.  He mentioned this, but she reminded him that paranoia was also a symptom of a concussion.  She was right of course.

Maybe it was stress.  While it was true that he had wanted to be a Face his whole career, it also meant a lot more touring and a lot more responsibilities to the league.  Heels typically didn’t do as much press - people rarely lined up to talk to villains.  They were on break now, but the season would start up again before he knew it.  Was he afraid of all the work he still had to do?  

It meant less time with Julia, but it also meant more money.  They were living out of a suitcase and a series of rented rooms.  And while she had it made it clear that she was happy anywhere as long as it was with him, he desperately wanted to be able to afford a beautiful home for her.

It didn’t make sense for his mind to constantly try to deny this reality.

Julia made a soft noise, turning over in her sleep.  Magnus felt paralyzed as she shifted away.  This weight of her body against his, this was  _ real _ .

So why did these thoughts bother him so much?

* * *

Klaarg was extremely apologetic.

“I still can’t believe it was my fault,” he sighed, pouring another cup of tea.  “We practiced that throw so many times, I don’t know what went wrong!”

Magnus reached for a scone.  He and Klaarg had been tag-team partners once upon a time.  They worked well together.  Magnus was a bear in the shape of a man, and Klaarg a man in the shape of a (bug)bear.  Their split as a team had been a huge deal in the circut.  The night of the accident was meant to be the big climactic showdown where I’Morko was turning his back on his dangerous past with Moonbeam.

Outside the ring they were still really good friends.

“I honestly still don’t think it was you,” Magnus sighed, bringing the scone to sit on his saucer.  “I’ve gone over it in my head about a million times.  There was no way.”

Klarg shook his head, setting down the kettle.  “That was the only major fall you took that night, Magnus.  If it wasn’t that, then what was it?”

Magnus took a sip of the tea - it was horrible.  He was not a tea person, but he would never insult Klaarg’s hospitality.

“That’s the thing, I’m still not totally sure I  _ had _ a concussion,” Magnus muttered.

“Mags, that’s ridiculous,” Klaarg said.  “You passed out, and you told me yourself you were hearing things that  _ weren’t _ there.”

Magnus opted to take a bite from the scone.  It was dry, but tasty.  There was some sort of berry in it, but he couldn’t really identify it.

“That’s the thing, though.”  He swallowed cautiously.  “That’s still happening.”

Klaarg’s face turned to a frightened expression - curious and strange on a bugbear.  He extended a hand to Magnus’ arm.

“Magnus… The match was three weeks ago.”

He nodded.  “And I’ve seen three different Clerics.  Everyone says I should be cured by now.”  Another bite of the scone.  “‘ _No way on Pan’s green earth could you_ still _have a concussion_ ,’ Merle said.”

“I am inclined to agree,” Klaarg said, withdrawing his hand.  “Medically, it just doesn’t seem possible to have been healed so many times and still be sick.”

“So why can’t I shake this…  _ feeling _ ?”

Klaarg took a sip of his tea.  “So tell me about it.”

Magnus set his teacup down again.  “It started right after the match…”

“With Julia, right?”

“Every time I look at her there’s an alarm going off in my head screaming that she  _ isn’t supposed to be there _ ,” Magnus said, running a hand across his mouth.  He was starting to grow a beard now that the offseason was in full swing, but it was patchy everywhere except the goddamn  _ sideburns _ .  “And it’s not just her.  Now I’m getting that feeling when I look at Merle too.  Hell, yesterday I got that feeling walking past one of the spotlight operators.”

“I’m sure you already know that paranoia is a symptom of-”

“A major concussion, I know,” Magnus said shortly.  “Look I know it sounds crazy, but what if there’s something else seriously wrong with me?  I should be happy, I’m finally a Face, finally poised to be Supreme Champion.  I have a beautiful wife and wonderful friends.   _ I should be happy. _  Why does my brain keep trying to pretend it’s not real?”

Klaarg carefully set his cup down when he saw the glint in Magnus’ eyes.  He was on the verge of tears.  He stood up and approached his friend, enveloping him in a big furry hug.  Magnus released a sob.  Klaarg gently pat him on the back and let him let it out.

“Minds are funny, Magnus,” he whispered, unable to add anything more.

“It shouldn’t be like this!” Magnus shouted.  “I worked so fucking  _ hard _ for this!  Why can’t I just be happy for once?!”

“Shhhhh,” Klaarg soothed, hold his friend close as Magnus buried his face into the bugbear’s fur.  “This isn’t  _ you _ , Magnus.  Whatever is going on, it’s not  _ you _ .  We’ll figure it out.”

Magnus’ breaths slowed and grew deeper.

“Does Julia know?”

“I… I’ve worried her enough.”

Klaarg shook his head.  “I doubt that.  I think you’ll be a worry to her for the rest of your lives.  Now listen,” he pushed Magnus off his shoulder, and held him squarely with both hands.  “I’ve got a wizard I see… you know, for anger management treatments.  Maybe you should pay her a visit too?  If you really think there is something wrong, you should have a professional look at it.”

Magnus nodded, but he wasn’t sure what to think.  Did Klaarg believe him, or was this just his way of brushing it off?

* * *

He hadn’t told Julia where he was going.  In retrospect, she probably suspected him.  He wasn’t great at hiding his emotions, and she had always been really good at reading them.  It had been a few days since his meeting with Klaarg, and after mulling it over every night, he had decided that at this point he had nothing to lose from seeing another professional.

The worst thing they could tell him at this point was it was all in his head, which would be a hilarious joke if it didn’t sting so goddamn much.

The address that Klaarg had given him was here in Neverwinter, so it was easy enough to slip away and find.  Before long he was outside a small shop front with a what looked like a moon on the sign.  In runic letters, it said “ _ Bureau of Balance _ .”  He pushed the door, and heard the faint tinkle of a bell.

Inside was a cozy looking waiting room  There were comfortable chairs and throw pillows scattered all over the room, and several plush rugs were rolled out on the floor.  Many potted plants were lining the edges of the room, and Magnus could smell something that he was sure was some kind of incense.

Across the room from the door was a desk and another set of doors.  A sign was on the desk.

_ With a client, please have a seat _ .

He did.  He sought out what looked like the most comfortable chair and lowered himself into it.  It was even softer than it looked, and he could feel himself sinking into the cushion.

As he waited, he saw that his Stone of Farspeech was lit up.  Someone was trying to get a hold of him.  What if it was Julia?  What would he say?

He unsilenced the charm, and a gruff voice came across.

“Burnsides where the  _ hell _ are you?”

“Hey Merle,” Magnus sighed, “I’m… out.”

“Julia is looking everywhere for you,” he replied.  “And Klaarg told me about your meltdown.  Are you going to be okay?”

He rubbed his neck.  “I don’t know?  I’m seeing another specialist.”

“... Again?”

“This morning while I was helping Jules braid her hair, I could have  _ sworn _ I heard a voice say my name.”

“Couldn’t that just have been Julia though?”

“It was a voice I’d never heard before,” Magnus sighed.

“Well I’m not going to pretend I’m not worried about you,” Merle replied.  “But if you think this specialist is going to help…”

“All I want is to go back to the way things were,” Magnus sighed, “Off season is half over and I haven’t slept for a minute of it.”

“I don’t… don’t worry about work, kid,” Merle said tentatively, “I’d rather you get this taken care of.”

“Merle, am I going crazy?”

“I don’t think so, not that it would matter if you were.”  He laughed at that.  “You’re stubborn as hell, but I know you wouldn’t joke around about something like this.  I’d sleep a lot easier myself knowing that you were okay.”

“And if I’m not?”

A long pause.

“Well, I can stand by you with that too.”

Just as he said that, the back door opened, and in walked an older woman with dark skin and long flowing robes.  She gestured, and her client entered into the room.  Magnus was shocked to see it was someone he knew.

Well, not  _ knew _ .  They had met.

The elf that helped Jules carry him back to the Chaos Stadium.

“I have to go,” Magnus said, closing the channel on his stone.

Looking at him, (what was his name again?  Greg?) Magnus felt a strange fog creeping into his head.  It felt a little like that feeling he got when he looked at Jules.  Something was  _ off _ , and his body wanted to go into fight-or-flight mode.  Greg didn’t see him at first, but it wasn’t long before he noticed the awestruck fighter.

“Oh hey, I’Morko,” he said.  “Long time no see.”

The woman accompanying him gestured to Magnus.  “That’s him?”

“Yeah, funny how that works.  We were just talking about you, big guy.”

Magnus wasn’t sure what to say about that.

“Normally I wouldn’t want to interfere with patient confidentiality,” the woman said sternly, “but I think you two should come back with me and have a chat.”

Magnus found himself nodding.  The fog was getting really intense now, and he was starting to realize that it wasn’t exactly the same as the panic he felt looking at his wife.  When he saw her, he was afraid she wasn’t real.  But now, looking at the pair before him, he had a feeling that they were the only thing that  _ was _ real.  And the haze of his mind was trying so hard to not let him think that thought because if  _ that _ was true…

Then what  _ else _ was?


	4. Drift Down, Into the New Dark Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lucretia has an intervention. Greg was better out there. Magnus is thrown for a loop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title comes from The Mountain Goats "Heel Turn 2".
> 
> Can't wait until I can stop typing "Greg."

The back room was dark.  All of the windows were covered with curtains and blankets, so that not a spec of light could get in.  Instead, the room was dotted with candles, and the smell of incense was even stronger.  There were no chairs back here, only large pillows on the floor.  In the far corner of the room, there was a large tank with a half a dozen creatures floating in it.  Magnus marveled at them - they looked like living fabric floating in the water.

“I’m sorry that this is so spur of the moment,” the woman said, motioning to the cushions on the floor.  “We weren’t exactly sure when you would show up.”

Magnus stared at her.

“You _knew_ I was coming?”

She knelt, her robes flaring out on the floor around her.

“We knew you’d end up here eventually,” she answered, patting the floor.  Greg sat down next to her, leaning back on his hands and spreading his legs lazily out.  “Frankly, I thought it would be sooner.”

“Not me bubbale,” Greg laughed, “I knew you’d take your sweet time.”

Magnus couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“What is that supposed to _mean_?”

“Only that I knew you wouldn’t want to admit something was off,” Greg said, pointing to a pillow and indicating that Magnus should sit.  “Why would you?  Shit’s going good for you here.”

“What is going on here?”

“You’re gonna want to sit,” Greg said.

“No, seriously, what is going _on_?” Magnus demanded.

“I am _not_ kidding, you’re gonna want to sit,” he repeated.

“Please sit, Magnus,” the woman concurred.

Magnus didn’t want to sit.  Magnus wanted to leave.  This whole situation felt strange, and the fuzzy feeling in his brain was only getting worse.  Who was this woman?  Why was she waiting for him?  And why the hell did they want him to _sit_ so badly?

“How’s this?” she reasoned, “My name is Lucretia.  I’m the Director here.  You could say that this place is… an equalizer.  We restore things to the way they are supposed to be by maintaining equity and harmony.”

“Like… like with magic?” Magnus asked.

“Sometimes.”

“And you’ve been doing that for my friend Klaarg?”

“See I _told_ you it would be Klaarg that did it,” Greg responded, throwing a hand in the air, “If it was going to be any of them, it was going to be Klaarg.  This version of him is really close to Magnus...  Little conceited if you ask me.”

“You did say that,” Lucretia replied with a nod.

“Klaarg…  what?  Did what?” Magnus asked, suddenly feeling a little bit wobbly.

“He got you come here when you noticed that you had a fucking _problem,_ my dude,” the elf replied.

“The _concussion_?”

“Honestly that was the _least_ of your issues.”

“Magnus,” Lucretia said, “Seriously, last chance to sit.”  Magnus didn’t move.  She shrugged.  “We already know about the intrusive thoughts.  Hell, I’m pretty sure you’re hearing voices too by this point.  The concussion didn’t _cause_ them.  It was an attempt to _hide_ them.”

He could feel the color draining from his face, but he wasn’t entirely sure why.

“It was a distraction.  Meant to make you believe that those feelings would go away once you got better.”

“You’re telling me I was given a concussion _on purpose_?” Magnus stammered, unable to process this.  The fog was heavy now, making it harder and harder for him to focus.

“My dude, you never had a concussion to _begin_ with,” Greg replied.  “Can’t concuss something that isn’t _there_.”

“I…” Magnus shook his head.  “ _You’re_ the one who told me it was a concussion!”

“Yeah, about that,” Greg said, rolling his head back.  “That was _before_ I figured it out.”

“Figured _what_ out?”

“That _this,”_ he lazily gestured around him with a free hand, “is a dream.”

Suddenly he realized why they had insisted he sit.  He felt his knees wobble, and it took all of his strength not to fall to the floor.

“W… What did you say?”

“I mean, I didn’t know it at first _either_ ,” Greg continued, “And it took awhile to realize that it wasn’t _my_ dream, although let’s be real - I’d never dream about being Greg the spotlight operator.”

“You _are_ Greg the spotlight operator!” Magnus cried.

“Yeah, _here_ !  In _your_ weird little fantasy world, where you get to be a hero and I’m stuck doing jack shit.  No _thank_ you, _Taako_ is good back in the _real_ world.”

Magnus didn’t know what to say to that.  It sounded like nonsense.  It _was_ enough to get him to sit.

“Magnus,” Lucretia said, extending a hand.  “You’re _dreaming_ .  This, all this, this is _your_ dream.”

“What… what does that even _mean_?”

“I’m not entirely sure,” Lucretia answered.  “It took us a little while to realize that it _was_ a dream and not reality, but a lot of us… A lot of people are trapped here _with_ you.  We’re all stuck, dreaming your dream… for whatever reason.”

“That’s… that’s crazy.”  Magnus shook his head.  “You can’t expect me to believe that!”

“I know it’s a lot to take in, but you have to believe us,” Lucretia sighed.  “You already know it’s true, somewhere in the back of your mind.”

Magnus thought back over the last few weeks.  Those feelings of paranoia, that things weren’t the way they should be… was because of this?  It was crazy.  How could he be dreaming?  He’d  lived his whole life until this moment.  Was _that_ a dream too?

“Your mind has built an elaborate fantasy out of information it had about your life,” Lucretia continued.  “It took elements from the real world, and mashed them together into a fantasy that made sense to it, that made you happy.  But…  but if you really _think_ about it, Magnus, _really think_ … You’ll realize that you don’t actually know how you got here.”

“Klaarg told me to come here,” Magnus growled, starting to get angry at this nonsense.

“Not _here_ , I mean, here.  In this moment.”  She looked at him very gravely.  “Tell me about your wrestling career.  Why did you decide to become a wrestler?”

“I... “  He tried to remember, but was only drawing a blank.  He had wanted to be a wrestler for as long as he could remember but… now that he was thinking about it, that was _all_ he could remember.

“Seems strange to be this far in your career and yet be unable to remember why you got into it in the first place,” Greg sighed, pulling his legs into his chest.  “Especially since it’s like your _defining_ _trait_.”

“We have a theory,” Lucretia said calmly, like she was talking to a wild animal, “That one day, we all woke up _here_ , forgetting entirely about what our lives were like before that moment, and only remembering the past your dream gave to us.  One where you’re a famous wrestler, and Taako is Greg the spotlight operator, and Merle is your manager-”

“Wait, Merle?” Magnus asked, getting to his feet.  “What does Merle have to do with all this?!”

“I’m gonna need you to calm down my man,” Greg warned, “Don’t make this harder than it has to be.”

“Really _think_ about this Magnus,” Lucretia implored, “What is your earliest complete memory?  The furthest back you can remember _clearly_?  I’d be willing to bet it was a little over a month ago.  Right before all this started happening to you.”

Magnus felt himself taking a step back towards the door.

“Your subconscious mind _knows_ it’s dreaming” Lucretia stood slowly, extending a hand.  “It’s been _trying_ to wake you up.  But your conscious mind keeps trying to _rationalize_ those thoughts away with talk of concussions and hallucinations.  When you started to question things, it blacked you out and waved it away with an explanation that made sense, but only if you didn’t _think_ about it.”

Magnus shook his head again.  “You’re lying.”

“Magnus please-”

“No, shut up,” Magnus responded, “I had three different Clerics confirm I had a concussion-”

“Clerics that weren’t _real_ , they were part of the dream.”

“I had all the symptoms-”

“Symptoms that your brain made real because it _thought_ they were real.”

“I hit my head!” he suddenly realized that he was crying.  “I hit my head and it fucked up my brain!”

“Did you _really_ hit your head?” Greg muttered.  “I seem to remember you saying it wasn’t that bad at the time.”

“I’m fairly certain someone _else_ convinced you that hitting your head caused the problem,” Lucretia agreed, “Probably another fabrication of the dream telling you a lie to keep you dreaming.”

Magnus went white.  Who had told him about the chokeslam?  Was it-

“I… I have to go,” he whispered, backing into the door and reaching for the handle.  The pair didn’t move to stop him.  He turned and threw the door open.

“Don’t make this harder, Magnus,” Lucretia warned.  “Denying this will only make it hurt more.”

“You guys are insane,” Magnus laughed. “ _She_ is _real_ .  She’s the _only_ thing that’s real!”

He was out the door before they could stop him.

* * *

_Oh Magnus._

_That will be the hardest thing for you, my wayward emissary._

_Realizing that you can’t sacrifice_ everything _to keep people safe… others have to give too._

_Some have given me more than you ever could._

_But... you have to give up_ one _more thing._

_I’m so sorry._

_Forgive me._


	5. Peeking through the eyeholes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus takes a suplex to his understanding of reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title comes from The Mountain Goats "Unmasked!"

He wasn’t entirely sure how he made it back to the inn.

Stumbling around in a haze, his eyes a blur with tears, he somehow managed to avoid getting lost.  He pushed open the door to the tavern, and he heard Merle say… something.  He paid him no mind, and headed upstairs to their room.

If she wanted to say something on seeing him, she didn’t.

Magnus only began to feel grounded again when he was laying on their bed, eyes closed, head in her lap, focusing on the feeling of her fingers slowly running through his hair.  His world stopped spinning.  He knew what was real.

This was real.

“Magnus,” she whispered, carefully stroking his head, “Please… can you tell me what’s wrong?”

He wasn’t sure what to say.

“If this is about something I did or…” she trailed off.  “What can I do?”

It was ridiculous to think that Julia was a dream.  They had a  _ life _ together.  That wasn’t something that could be faked… right?  Never mind the other ridiculous elements of the director’s claims - how could  _ one _ person have a dream that changed reality?  Why would  _ he _ be the one who was dreaming?  But to suggest that Julia didn’t exist… when she felt so real and so  _ right _ in this moment?

And yet…

He couldn’t deny how loud those warning alarms in his head were screaming.

Why did he get this  _ feeling _ when he looked at her for too long?  This feeling that the world was just a moment away from being completely overturned?  That had to mean something as well.  He couldn’t just ignore the way his gut had felt ever since… ever since he saw her.

“Jules…  tell me that you love me.”

“Of course I do Magnus,” she cooed, smoothing his hair beneath her fingers.  “I love you so much.”

“You would never lie to me, right?”

A long pause as she worked through a tangle in his hair.  It sent a shiver down his spine.

“I would never try to hurt you Magnus, you know that.”

He opened his eyes and looked at her.

“I asked if you would lie to me.”

She smiled, and he felt his stomach drop.

“Isn’t that what I said?”

He twisted away from her hand, slowly sitting up.

“Julia… who told you I had a concussion?”

“What kind of question is  _ that _ , Little bear?” she laughed, cocking her head.

“Merle isn’t a doctor, he wouldn’t be able to tell just by looking at me, and the spotlight guy is no expert either,” he continued, thinking his way through this.  It was a little thing, but it was the thing that bothered him the most.  “How did you guys determine that it was a concussion?”

She smiled, but she didn’t say anything.  She gently patted her knee, beckoning him to come back.  He didn’t move.

“You hit your head sweetie,” she responded.  It sounded measured.  Practiced.  “What else could it have been?”

“But I didn’t tell anyone about the hit.  I didn’t even think about it until after you said something.  And Merle said himself he didn’t think it had been  _ that _ hard.”  Magnus found himself backing away from his wife.

“Magnus,” she sighed, “You’re being ridiculous.”

“I… I have to go.”

“Come back to bed Magnus.”

He shook his head.

“I can’t.”

“Of  _ course _ you can.”

He closed his eyes.

If this was a dream… if this wasn’t real… He would  _ know _ , right?  Dreams weren’t set in stone.  Normally when he was dreaming, things started to fall apart as soon as he  _ realized _ it wasn’t real.  If this really  _ was _ his dream, then…

He opened his eyes.

Julia wasn’t there.

* * *

"Burnsides?”

Magnus stumbled down the stairs.  Merle was sitting at one of the tables, having a mid-day pint.  Magnus wobbled over, unsure of his feet, his strength, the floor,  _ everything.   _ He grabbed onto Merle’s shoulder.

“Please!  Tell me you’re real!”

Tears were streaming down Magnus’ face, and Merle found himself dumbstruck.

“Hey son, you… you okay?”

Magnus could only shake his head slowly.

“Mags what’s wrong?” Merle said, concern flooding his voice, “Let me know what I can do, man?”

Magnus found himself walking to the front door.

“If… Julia… comes  _ back _ …” He pushed open the door.  “Don’t tell her you saw me.”

And with that, Magnus stumbled back into the street.

The world felt entirely different than before.  Unfriendly and harsh, the light of day seemed too bright, the air too chill.  He felt like a giant raw nerve, pulsing and throbbing over every single stimuli.  This… all of this… He looked around and realized that things that had made sense only an hour ago no longer seemed to mean anything.  Shopfronts and buildings seemed illogical in the way they were placed - too close together, in improbable spaces.  Doors that clearly didn’t lead anywhere.  Windows with no reflections, no interiors, just flat like a painting.  

Now that he knew the truth, he couldn’t  _ stop  _ seeing it.  He realized he no longer could make sense of signs over shop windows, and the faces of strangers were indistinct and imperfect, lacking features that would define them as  _ people _ .  There was no denying it - the world was definitely not real.

But as he wandered, he couldn’t help but notice a sinking feeling in a stomach.

_ Why wasn’t he waking up _ ?

If this was a dream, something like this would surely shock him awake.  If this was a dream, he should be able to tell his body to  _ wake up _ .

But no matter what he did, nothing happened.

He was still here.

Without even realizing it, he had made his way back to the Bureau of Balance, although now the sign was simply gibberish.  Looking inside, he saw the Director and Greg still talking.  They caught sight of him in the window, and motioned him inside.

“Magnus,” she older woman said softly, “I’m glad you came back  We have a lot to talk about.”

“You… you guys know who I really am, right?”

She nodded, extending a hand.  He moved to it, but didn’t take it.

“We’re very good friends,” she said, “You will remember it all soon.”

“Did… was I married?”

The director looked at Greg, then back to Magnus.

“We don’t know.”  Mangus choked back a sob, and Lucretia moved to place her hands on his shoulders.  “But Magnus… there’s only one way to know for sure.”

“You’ve gotta wake up,” said Greg.

“Yes, you have to wake up,” Lucretia agreed.

_ Yes… yes Magnus. _

He swallowed heavily.  That… that voice.

“How do I do it?”

_ It won’t be easy, but I can give you a little help _ .

And suddenly, everything went white.


	6. I'm walking out of here in one piece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus meets his Tag-team partner. Istus taps him back in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another title from Heel Turn 2, I better finish this before I run out of lyrics (I'm close though).

The light was familiar.

It reminded Magnus of the feeling of seeing a good friend’s smile after a serious conversation.

_ I’m so happy to see you Magnus _ .

The blinding light faded, and Magnus found himself floating in a white space.  In front of him, a woman.  She seemed both young and old at the same time, in her face and in her eyes, and her long silvery hair seemed to flow out around her as if suspended in water.  She was knitting something long and thin, and when Magnus tried to follow the fabric, he realized that it had no end.  It simply kept going, down and down and down in the void below him, until it simply couldn’t be seen anymore.

Magnus looked up in her eyes, and she smiled.

“Istus.”

He had no idea where the word was coming from, but seeing her had made something  _ click _ .  This was Istus.   _ Who _ Istus was still eluded him, but it was a start.

_ “Magnus.” _

She spoke, but the voice filled every inch of his being.  He got the feeling that she spoke for his benefit, that she could be heard without opening her lips.

“ _ Magnus, it’s been awhile, _ ” she mused, lazily stitching into her work.  She didn’t have to look at her hands.  “ _ I know you have questions, but let me ease you into this slowly.” _

“What… What’s happening to me?” Magnus asked, feeling for the first time in this weightless space that this went  _ well _ beyond a dream.

“ _ A moment.” _  She looped another thread around her needle thoughtfully.  “ _ There.  You should start to remember something now.” _

He felt… something.  A warm sensation spreading through his body, starting at his heart and slowly working it’s way to his fingers and toes.

“I’m… Not a wrestler.”

“ _ You were, once, _ ” Istus smiled.  “ _ I mean that literally, you did it  _ once _.” _

“I’m… oh,” he found himself drifting, slowly beginning to turn, weightless in the air.  “I’m an adventurer.”

“ _ A pretty good one too,” _ she nodded.

Magnus tried to think about himself.  It was a strange feeling.  He had never thought about how  _ hard _ it was to think about himself.  There was still a lot of fuzzy edges to his memories, but things were slowly starting to fill themselves in again.  He was on a mission to collect the Grand Relics.  He had been travelling with his friends and…  and…

“I’m… asleep,” Magnus said, slowly.  “I’m dreaming.”

“ _ You were put under a spell, _ ” Istus explained, “ _ A spell to trap you in your perfect dream life. _ ”

Magnus remembered.

They had been captured.  Captured by drow wizards, deep in a cave they had been exploring.

“ _ They are worshipers of Fraz-Urb'luu, God of Illusionists and tricksters.  They like to lay traps for wanderers, usually horrible ones. _ ”  Istus lowered her knitting and lifted a hand.  Within it appeared a mirror.  Magnus looked within, and saw… himself.

Sleeping.

He and Merle… and… the Director and… Greg?  No,  _ Taako _ .  And more faces that were becoming more familiar by the second.  They were laying on the floor of a cave, out cold.

“ _ When you failed to return, the Director sent help but… It’s easy to fall prey to illusions.  Soon they had all of you.” _

“But they… have no idea who we are, because of the Voidfish.”

“ _ So they settled for putting you to sleep, trapping you in a dream you couldn’t wake up from. _ ”

“I can’t wake up because it’s magic?”

She nodded.

“ _ They left the blueprint for a dream and let your mind fill it in with details.  _ __ _ You will starve to death, trapped in the lie you built out of truths from your memory.  Fraz-Urb'luu would be pleased.” _

The mirror disappeared, and she extended a hand to Magnus.  He hadn’t realized this, but she was  _ gigantic _ .  In the moment, he hadn’t noticed, but now that he was starting to get accustomed to floating in this space, he realized that she truly was…

“You’re a  _ goddess _ .”

“ _ Naturally.” _

“I just… this is still sinking in for me.”

“ _ No I get that.  You’re basically… meeting me again for the first time.” _

He floated over into her hand.  He was only as large as her thumb.  She smiled kindly.

“ _ Magnus… I’m about to do something that will hurt you a little. _ ”

“Like… physically?” he said, grabbing onto her thumb.

“ _ Emotionally, I’m afraid. _ ”

He wasn’t sure what to say to that.  “Okay?”

“ _ I’m holding onto some of your memories still.  I’m going to give them back to you.  Please don’t think too poorly of me, for what has happened to you.” _

Suddenly, another strange sensation in his chest, this time cold as ice.  As it crept across his skin, causing his hairs to stand on end, he began to remember.

He had lost so much.

Friends.  Family.   _ Julia _ .

“ _ Being a goddess of Fate means my followers tend to be cynical men with nothing left to lose.” _ She carefully moved her thumb to caress Magnu’s cheek - a jolt went through his body. _  “You… you still have so much, but I have taken  _ so much  _ already _ . _  I ruin men like you.  I will ruin you forever.”   _ She smiled, and Magnus could see tears in her eyes. _  “But I want you to know… that it was never personal.  I love all my emissaries... for all time.” _

It was overwhelming, all this pain all at once.  All the loss, all the hardship he had endured.  It had been so much.

He had given so much.

And yet…

“Istus I…“ Magnus fought back tears, “It hurts so much but… I know… that Fate is funny like that.”

She smiled again.

“ _ That is all I can do for you,” _ she laughed.  “ _ You’ll have to find your own way out but… you’re a bright boy.  You’ll figure it out.” _

He nodded.  “Thank you, Istus.”

“ _ I know this is cliche at this point but…  you’re going to be  _ amazing _.” _

And everything went white.


	7. Power and adrenaline flowing like amber

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus tags back in. Taako is the surprise second string. Lucretia has a big ask.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is from "Stabbed to Death Outside San Juan" which is the worst song on the album but whatever I'm saving the best ones.

He returned to the room with a gasp for air.

“You okay man?”

Magnus looked around.  He was in the office of Lucretia, sitting on the floor with the Director and…

“Taako.”

The elf smiled.  “Oh thank gods.  If you called me Greg one more time I was going have a fit.”

Lucretia put a hand on his shoulder.  “We thought your memories would start to return if the unrealness of the dream became obvious.  It’s good to have you back, Magnus.”

He nodded, and she pulled away.  It was possible that moment in the white space was  _ also _ a dream but… with his memories back, that seemed less likely.  He didn’t think that Taako and the Director had any idea what he had just experienced.  Maybe it was something just for him.

He had a patron in the pantheon who was looking out for him.

“So… we’re sleeping, in my dream,” Magnus mused, “But I’ve tried to wake up and it’s not happening.”

“We think that’s because it’s a magically induced sleep,” Lucretia replied.  “We suspect it is being sustained somehow in the real world.”

Magnus realized that even though the Director was aware of the dream, it didn’t seem like she knew the whole story surrounding it.  The “being trapped in the cave, slowly starving to death” part.  He thought about saying something, but didn’t want to cause a panic.  Better to focus on getting out than getting them caught up.

“So wait, how did you two figure it out?”

Taako shrugged.  “When you’re not around to dream it, the dream gets less real.”

“It’s hard to explain, but you’ve probably noticed a bunch of little inconsistencies now that you’ve realized this is a dream,” Lucretia explained, “Those are more common when you’re not around, because your brain isn’t trying as hard to maintain the illusion.”

“And like… I  _ don’t  _ sleep, so this is pretty foreign to me,” Taako admitted, “But that night when I carried you back to the stadium you were talking about  _ Istus _ , which meant nothing to Greg the Spotlight operator, but  _ did _ mean something to Taako the wizard.  After that, it just sort of unravelled.”

“Same,” Lucretia replied, “When I saw Taako something just… clicked.”

Magnus noticed that he was nodding absentmindedly.  He wondered how long he had been doing that.  Now that they were saying it… he completely understood that feeling.  That feeling of things slowly peeling away until you didn’t recognize the world anymore.

“How long have we been trapped in here?”

“A few weeks if the calendar here is anything to go by,” Taako answered, “I  _ think _ the start of the dream was the night of the fight.  But it’s impossible to know how much time has  _ actually _ passed and how much of this has just been… weird dream logic.”

Magnus frowned.  “What?”

Lucretia raised a hand.  “As someone who has  _ actually _ dreamed before, I can explain.  When you set out to get here, how did you arrive?”

“I walked.”

She shook her head.  “No I mean, do you remember the path you took to get here?  Or did you just… arrive?  The passage of time seems to jump every time you will it to.  Any path you take will lead you where you want to go, regardless of geography.  The thing you are expecting is usually the resulting outcome.”

“Wait so…”  He already knew this, because he had done it.  To  _ her _ .  But he had to confirm.  “I have  _ control _ of the dream.”

Taako and Lucretia nodded.

“So how can I use this to help me wake up?”

“Well normally the mind wakes you up on it’s own when it realizes you are dreaming,” Lucretia sighed, “We had hoped that would happen when you came to terms with it, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.”

“Something  _ has _ changed though,” Magnus explained.  He told them about the way things had looked on the way over, how the world was getting less and less logical to him.  “I think it’s unstable.  I think we can break out.”

“How do you humans normally wake up from dreams?” Taako asked.

Magnus looked uncomfortable.  “I mean… for me, I usually wake up… screaming.”

“Oh that’s right, you get night terrors,” Taako said, putting a hand on his chin.  “I forget that’s not, like,  _ normal _ .”

“We’re lucky this dream has been a mostly pleasant one then,” Lucretia said.  “I’d hate to see what makes Magnus wake up in the middle of the night.”

“It’s not like that,” he sighed, rubbing his neck.  “I dream about… stuff that’s happened to me.  But I don’t think that’s going to work this time.  Just remembering my past should have been enough if that was the case.”

They sat in silence for a moment.  Magnus tried not to dwell on the thought too much but… it was true.  In the real world, he was a broken man.  In the real world, he had lost everything.

_ I will ruin you. _

He tried not to think about Istus, smiling sadly at him.  She hadn’t meant to hurt him personally, that was just how Fate worked.  

_ I ruin men like you _ .

He pushed the thought aside.  He wasn’t ruined.  He was still alive, in spite of everything, and in that way… Istus had given him the greatest gift of all.

The chance to start over.

“What about dying?” Magnus asked.

“What about it?” Taako replied.

“Like, if I die in the dream, will I wake up?”

Lucretia frowned, folding her hands in front of her mouth.  “In theory, that will work, but I worry that the spell we’re under might cause your body to…”  She paused, but he didn’t need her to finish.  “Anyway, adrenaline is the best way to wake someone up, so maybe we can  _ shock _ you awake.”

“My dude is a wrestler,” Taako mused, “And this dream seems to have been  _ suspiciously  _ lacking in wrestling.”

Magnus nodded.  Now that he thought about it, it did seem like the dream had been designed to let him have the joy of being a wrestler without ever putting him into danger.  But…

“But the routines are rehearsed,” Magnus said, “And I don’t think we’re going to get the imaginary dream wrestlers to do anything that’s actually going to  _ hurt _ me.  Part of the reason it was so hard to buy the concussion thing was a chokeslam is supposed to be really  _ safe _ .”

“I think Magnus has a point,” Lucretia sighed, “I think it will have to be something unexpected in order for it to work, and we’re just not going to get that from staged wrestling.”

“It’s too bad I can’t charm your headcannon version of Klaarg,” Taako whined.  “I could make that dude  _ really _ mess you up.”

“Wait, I just realized something,” Magnus gasped.  “Why did Klaarg send me to you guys if he’s not real?  Wouldn’t that put the dream at risk?”

“I think he’s just designed to be nice to you,” Taako shrugged, “He’s charmed in real life, so he’ll do what we ask him to do, so in your mind… Oh.  Oh!”  Taako slapped a palm to his forehead.  “ _ This Klaarg is already charmed _ !”

“That’s assuming things work like they do in the real world,” Lucretia warned.

“No shut up it makes sense, listen,” Taako raised his hands, “ _ Our _ Klaarg listens to me, because I cast the spell on him, but  _ dream _ Klaarg listens to Magnus because there would be no reason for Klaarg and Spotlight Greg to know each other.  It’s the same Klaarg, but the dream had to rearrange his relationship to us in order for it to work in this world, so by that logic, it’s  _ Magnus _ who cast charm on Klaarg in this world.”

“That’s… a bit of a stretch,” Magnus admitted.  “Why would the dream be built like that?”

“Because it’s made up of truths you already knew,” Taako explained.  “I had to be a spotlight operator in this world because that’s the only logical thing I could be, because last time we did this,  _ that’s what I was _ .  This place  _ has _ rules, and it’s to keep reality as narratively cohesive as possible without making things unpleasant for you.”

“So what should I do?”

“I mean, you should try to talk to Klaarg,” Lucretia answered.  “You  _ can _ alter things here, maybe between this and that, you’ll be able to convince dream Klaarg to wrestle you for  _ real _ .”

“That would be pretty dangerous,” Magnus admitted, remembering the last time he and the Bugbear had  _ really _ fought.

“Magnus.”  Lucretia put her hand on his shoulder again.  “Not gonna lie, this is straight up life threatening.  This  _ could _ kill you.  I don’t know if we have any other options though.”

Magnus thought about the image he had seen in the mirror.  He had no idea how long they had been asleep, but he couldn’t risk what Istus had warned him about.

Wasting away in the dream.

Starving.

“No… No I have to do this,” Magnus confirmed, “We have to make it out of here.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEXT TIME, MAYBE SOME ACTUAL WRESTLING?!?


	8. Throw my Better Self Overboard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus gets to work. Merle sets the stage. Klaarg has some reservations. Julia says goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ANOTHER FROM HEEL TURN 2
> 
> I LIED ABOUT THE WRESTLING THAT'S HAPPENING NEXT TIME.

Now that he knew the truth, he was able to manipulate things to his advantage.

The first step was realizing the jumps between locations were happening.  He wanted to be back to the inn?  Done.  Back to the stadium?  There.  It was disorienting, but controllable.  All he had to do was think about being somewhere, and there he would be.

After that, the time jumps were easy to get the hang of.  They were like the location changes, but more of  _ when _ than  _ where _ .  Magnus realized, if he really wanted to, he could probably go  _ backwards _ as well, but since he knew it wasn’t real, it wasn’t really worth it.  He couldn’t jump too far or he would get disoriented, but little jumps from day to day were fine.

The next part was getting the rest of the dream off of his case.  He thought about willing things out of it, like he had done with Julia, but that seemed to only last a little while.  She had returned by the time he came back from the Bureau, though it seemed as though she was unaware of the fact that she had ever  _ not _ been.

Magnus couldn’t really bring himself to push her out again.

Now that he was certain she wasn’t real, he had zero interest in interacting with her.  But at the same time… he couldn’t stand to send her away.  The idea of hurting her, even an imaginary her that couldn’t feel anything, felt horrible to him.  

Now that he knew Merle was trapped too, he spent more time with him, trying to get him to realize what was happening.  He could just tell him, but Magnus was worried about the shock to the old man’s heart.  He’d hate to have him go out like that.

It started with Istus.

“Hey you said something weird awhile back,” Magnus tried to be casual.  “ _ Istus is funny _ .”

“Oh yeah, that’s an older saying,” Merle nodded.  “Istus is a lesser-known god of Fate.”

“Cool,” Magnus said, remembering the feeling of her smiling at him.  Goddess of Fate.  “Where’d you hear that one?”

“Not sure, I’m a Panite myself,” Merle shrugged.  Magnus knew this of course.  He currently knew way more about Merle than Merle himself probably knew.  But he wanted to ease into this.  “So what were we thinking about Battlefest next week?”

“Oh, is break almost over?” Magnus said, as if he hadn’t been subtly making time scoot forwards towards it faster and faster.  If this was going to work, he needed to get back into the ring, and it needed to be as natural as possible.  He had tried to just straight up  _ get in the ring _ , but Merle had stopped him.  It was too soon, he said.  He should rest, he said.  Magnus realized that the dream was probably not going to let him get rough unless it absolutely had to.  And so began this dance where he tried to edge time forward without his mind getting suspicious of itself.

It was a very weird sensation.

“Anyway, I’ve heard we’ve got some greenies that are going to debut next week,” Merle continued.  “You ready to be part of the big time kid?”

Magnus smiled, but he knew the real Merle would see right through it.  It was weird, realizing that at one point this had been all-consuming to him.  Now he was an observer of a dream that wasn’t actually his anymore, still playing itself out unaware.  It was hard to pretend he didn’t know.

“Oh uh.”  He nodded franticly.  “Merle… can I ask you something?”

“Yeah sure Mags.”

“You think Klaarg and I could have a rematch?”

Merle frowned.  “I mean it’s a little early in the season for that, he was the last guy you fought.”

“I know but,” Magnus franticly tried to think of a reason, “I think it’s important to stress the relationship between I’Morko and Moonbeam.  Like, leave that temptation open for I’Morko to go back to being a heel.”

“Like he’s got demons and shit,” Merle nodded, “Yeah I get that, you were a heel for a long time, it’s not unreasonable to think the transition wouldn’t happen right away.  I’ll see what I can do.”

“And you think we could do… like a cage match?” Magnus urged, trying to make his voice stay calm.  “Oh, or a Battle Royale.  Maybe both?”

“Slow down there,” Merle said, raising his hands.  One thing Magnus hadn’t realized before (of course, he wouldn’t have known earlier) was that Merle still had both of his hands.  Magnus wasn’t totally sure why, since Merle definitely had lost his hand a while ago, long before they had ever done the Battlefest in the real world, but this version of Merle… he was still whole.  A part of him felt guilty about that.  “I only just got you back to normal, I don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“But what’s the point of making it to the big time if I’m not making a huge splash?” Magnus insisted.  “I have to make a mark if I’m gonna be a face people remember.  Let’s make it  _ crazy. _ ”

Magnus could tell by the look in his eyes that Merle  _ wasn’t _ crazy about the idea of getting crazy.

“Have you asked Julia about this?”

“Of course,” Magnus lied.  Honestly, he hadn’t even spoken to her in what felt like days.  Any time he found himself alone with her, he willed time to skip forward.

“Okay then,” Merle said, giving Magnus an odd stare.  “I’ll see what I can set up for you.”

“You won’t regret it Merle.”

Magnus hoped he wouldn’t either.

* * *

“That sounds… I’m gonna be honest, super dangerous.”

He was back in Klaarg’s dressing room, helping him brush fur out of his leotards.

“That’s what’s going to make it so awesome,” Magnus continued, brushing away a particularly gnarly clump of hair.  “It’s important to me that we keep up our character’s rivalry.  I’Morko would be nothing without Moonbeam, so it makes sense they would still fight.”

“No I get that,” Klaarg answered, “But you don’t want to  _ rehearse _ anything?”

“I think the drama will feel more natural if we don’t,” Magnus shrugged.

“I don’t know, Magnus,” Klaarg warned.  “I’m a  _ Bugbear _ .  Restraint in the moment is not one of my strengths.  Practice is the only thing that’s kept me from hurting you all these years.”

Magnus felt himself laugh at that.  In truth… he and this Klaarg had  _ never _ wrestled.  But if Taako was right about how the dream worked, belief that they  _ had _ dictated the rules of their relationship.  This Klaarg wouldn’t hurt him.  He needed to give him  _ permission _ to do it, or his brain straight up wouldn’t allow it.

“I’m absolutely serious about this,” Magnus said, putting a hand on the bugbear’s shoulder.  “Don’t plan a routine.  Don’t even think about one.  Let’s just do what comes natural.”

Klaarg grabbed his mask off the top of his dresser.

“Oh and Klaarg?  I’m planning on juicing.  So if you see me bleeding, just keep going.”

He saw a look of panic flit through Klaarg’s eyes, and he felt bad.  Sure, this Klaarg wasn’t real, but he felt real enough.  It felt dishonest to manipulate him like this.

“Magnus you… you know I don’t do well with blood on the mat.”

“I trust you,” Magnus affirmed.

“But…” Klaarg shook his head, running claws through the tufts on his chest.  “You’re really pushing all the limits for me here.”

Magnus put his forehead to Klaarg’s.  “I’m doing this because I know it will be okay.”  He really hoped that was true.  “I don’t want to tiptoe on this one.  I want to really put on a show.  I need Moonbeam to be a complete  _ animal _ .”

He smiled, and Klaarg half-smiled back.

“Okay Mags,” Klaarg finally sighed, “But only because it’s you.”

“Knew I could count on you!” Magnus cried, slapping him on the back.  He headed out smiling, but as he made it into the hallway, he quickly exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

There was no guarantee that had done  _ anything,  _ but at the very least he had tried to set up some new rules.  Between that, whatever Merle cooked up, and whatever Taako was scheming on his own,  _ something _ about this match would surprise him.  Hopefully it would be enough to catch him off guard to the point of startling him awake, but if that failed, the chance of actual injury could do it too.  

And barring that, he could always jump off the roof and see what that did.

He hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

* * *

Eventually, Magnus had skipped through his dream efficiently enough to make it to the eve of Battle Fest without raising suspicion.  The Director had warned him that things could still change, that his mind may still make a reason to cancel the match and avoid Magnus getting hurt, but she felt he had done well to get to this point at all.

“Honestly I thought for sure it would make you sick,” she had admitted, “Like, reflex vomiting to keep you from working, but thankfully that hasn’t happened.”

But now, the morning of, he did feel like puking.

He was scared.

It was a dream, but they still had no idea what the repercussions of this would be when he woke up.  If he got hurt, would his body  _ feel  _ it?  If he died trying… then everyone would be out at least.  But he had gone past the point of no return.  They couldn’t stay here any longer.  For all he knew, they were already past gone in the real world.  Wasting time trying to come up with a safer plan wasn’t possible.

But still…

“Magnus.”

He had forgotten she was still here.  He turned his head to see Julia standing in the doorway.

He hadn’t seen the real Julia in over five years.  Now that he was thinking about it, he wasn’t totally sure if his Julia had looked like this one, or if he was just remembering all the things he had loved about her.  His imperfect memory couldn’t possibly capture the way her face flushed when she got excited, or the sound her voice made when she called his name.  It was close, but there was no way.  There was no way it was perfect.

Still, seeing her there, face fallen, looking for all the world the way he thought he remembered her… it was hard.  It was hard to see her sad.

“Did… did you want something?” he choked out, looking away.

“You’ve been ignoring me for days,” she whispered, “I know you’re upset with me but…”

He folded his hands in his lap.

“I’m not… I’m not upset with you Jules.”

A hand touched his shoulder and he shuddered.  It wasn’t real.  He knew that now.

But gods how he had missed her.

He looked at her, trying to smile, but found a tear building up hot in his eyes.  She put a hand to his cheek, and he flinched, letting the water loose.

She wasn’t real.

Julia had died five years ago.

“Magnus.”  She was very quiet, kneeling down in front of him as he sat on the edge of the bed.  “Magnus please.  Tell me what is wrong.”

He shook his head.  He had been skipping past her, trying to get out, but in this moment, a horrible fact had dawned on him.  If his plan worked… if he woke up…

He wasn’t going to see her again.

“I just… I just loved you so much Jules,” Magnus cried, and the tears wouldn’t stop.  “You knew that, right?”

“Of course I know that,” she cooed, putting her hands to his face.

“I never wanted to leave you.”

She slowly pushed up on her knees and he leaned into her and they met in a kiss.

It was all the things he loved about her and none of the things he didn’t.  She smelled of lavender, and she felt soft and warm, and there was a growing heat between them as he realized that this would be the last memory he would have of her, if he remembered this at all after he woke up.

He had dreamed about her plenty of times, but nothing this clear.  

Nothing this real.

He was still crying, and she was shushing him softly, kissing his tears away as they appeared.  He felt paralysed in this moment.  What would Julia… the  _ real _ one… think of him?

Would she think less of him?

“Magnus,” she whispered again, breathlessly, “We have time, if you want to…”  She had her fingers in his hair, pulling him forward in a bend.  “We have forever.”

And he wanted to.  He wanted to so  _ badly _ .  He felt that feeling in his stomach.  That unique flutter that only Julia would give him.  She was here, and even though she wasn’t real… wasn’t it enough that she  _ felt _ real?

“I-” his voice cracked, “I can’t.”

He pulled away, and she let him.  They locked eyes for a moment, and it felt like she  _ understood _ for a second.  Like she too knew that all this… wasn’t actually happening.  Or maybe he just was projecting.  It certainly made it easier to let go.

“It’s okay Little Bear,” Julia answered, wrapping her arms around him.  “I’ll always love you.”

He let himself get lost in her scent for a moment, in the softness of her hair.  After one last deep breath, he felt his tears finally stop.

“Jules I-” for whatever reason, he felt like the  _ real _ Julia could hear him.  And if she could… “You were the best thing that ever happened to me.”

She hummed, and he could hear a smile in her voice.

“I love you, Little Bear.”

“I love you, Jules.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter SHOULD be the last one?!? I think!? I ACTUALLY HAVE TO WRITE WRESTLING THOUGH SO HAHA JOKES ON ME.


	9. No one anticipates the sunset flip

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The final chapter! Thanks for sticking around!
> 
> Taako curses. Klaarg unleashes the beast. Magnus wakes up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title (and fic title) comes from the Mountain Goats's song "Hair Match." I literally was inspired for this entire fic from looking at a video of a Sunset Flip.

“You look nervous, kid.”

Magnus pulled his bear mask on over his face.  He was backstage with Merle, making the final preparations for the fight, which would be starting any minute.  He had been lucky.  Nothing had happened to cancel the match, which meant he could put his plan into action.

“I mean, I am,” Magnus admitted.

“You want me to tell you what to expect out there?” Merle asked, handing him a roll of bandages.

Magnus began to wrap his knuckles.  “That is literally the last thing I want to do.”

Merle looked unsure.

“Kid are you sure you want to do it like this?  You could get really hurt.”

This was true of course.  Magnus knew that he was risking injury here, and it was possible that it would hurt his real body.  But after he had made his peace with Julia, he had realized he had no reason to try to stay here anymore.  Every moment where he wasn’t trying to escape was just a moment wasted.

“ _ Magnus rushes in _ ,” he laughed.

Something about that made Merle take pause.

Just then, Taako came into the dressing room.

“Magnus, everything is set up,” he said, clapping a hand against the fighter’s shoulder.  “Anything else you think I can do to make this work?”

“I think we’re good,” Magnus admitted, tying off the bandage.  “Please keep an eye on me up there on the catwalk.  Don’t let me get too fucked up.”

“I make no promises,” Taako smiled, twirling his umbrella.  “What about you old man, you finally cluing into things here?”

Merle stared for a long time at Taako before he spoke.

“Do I know you?”

“Alright fuck this,” Taako sighed, “Let’s do one last thing.  Give me your hand, Mags.”

Magnus held out his hand and Taako took it delicately in his own.

“I’m gonna do something, and you have to  _ believe _ it’s going to work,” Taako explained.  “That’s the only way my magic is going to have any effect on you here.  So I need you to trust me right now.”

“I trust you,” Magnus responded.

Taako waved his free hand over their grasped hands and muttered something in Elvish, and Magnus began to feel… strange.

“What was that?” Magnus asked.

“Just a little  _ Bestow Curse _ ,” Taako said, “Thought you might want to be a little slower on your reaction times tonight.”

“You just cursed me?” Magnus asked, cocking an eyebrow with a smile.

“Whoa hold up!” Merle cried, reaching for his bible, “What do you think you’re doing, cursing my fighter?”

“Chill out Merle it’s gonna be aces,” Taako laughed, “You literally have no idea, but you’ll see.”

“Taako’s right, Merle, I wanted him to do this,” Magnus said, “And I want you to do something too.”

He knelt next to Merle.  It was rare for him to come down to the dwarf’s level, since it made Merle feel uncomfortable about his height.  But if this was gonna work, Magnus needed to look into Merle’s eyes.

“No matter what happens out there, I need you to promise me that…” Magnus stumbled for a moment.  This was the scariest part.  “I need you to promise you won’t heal me Merle.”

Something passed over Merle’s expression.  A mix of realization and understanding and surprise and just a little bit of fear.

“You’re gonna get yourself killed.”

“No Merle, look at me,” Magnus grabbed the cleric’s shoulders.  “I need to do this.  I need to get hurt so I can wake up, it’s the only way I can save everyone.  Promise me you won’t heal me.”

Something seemed to click for Merle.

“Magnus.”

“Yeah Merle?”

“... Why would I start healing you  _ now _ ?”

Taako slapped the dwarf on the back.

“I don’t totally get what is happening but I think it will make sense later,” Merle admitted.  “Don’t make me regret this Magnus.”

Magnus smiled, but he knew the truth.  If this didn’t work, they probably wouldn’t live long enough to regret it anyway.

* * *

The first twist of the night happened pretty early on.

An Emcee was yelling some nonsense toward Magnus about  _ Loyalty _ and  _ Justice _ and  _ Fairness _ , which led Magnus to fist-pump and flex for the crowd appropriately.  They went crazy, and for a moment, Magnus felt sad about the fact that  _ this _ was the perfect life he had imagined.  He was not the kind of guy who did what he did for attention.

Another mumble from the announcer introducing the pair of new fighters debuting tonight.  “A former tag team pair, here to make a name for themselves with sick moves and sweet flips!  The Huntress and The Wyrm!”

Coming down the ramp to the stage, thunderous applause deafening him, Magnus caught sight of some familiar faces approaching.  A tall orc woman and a shorter dragonborn, waving and smiling for the audience.

Wearing matching costumes that didn’t quite fit right, Carey and Killian joined him on the mat.

Magnus caught Killian’s eye and she glanced upward with a smile, fangs jutting out from her lips.   _ Taako _ .  He must have arranged for them to be here.  If the look on their faces was any clue, they knew what was going on at least.  With two fighters in the ring that knew it was a dream, their chances of something unsafe and unstable happening had doubled.

Klaarg, dressed as Moonbeam, joined them soon, howling for the crowd and practically foaming at the mouth.  He made a swiping motion at Magnus, clawing the air in a show that Magnus knew was meant for the audience.

In another situation, this could have been fun.

One last fighter joined them, not one that Magnus recognized.  A man in a mask who was going by the name The Bulldog Typhoon, which Magnus realized would be a better wrestling name for  _ him _ if he wasn’t already I’Morko.

Klaarg and the Bulldog started to circle the edge of the mat as crew members approached the stage with metal barricades.  Magnus backed into the center, bumping into Carey.

“Hell in a cell my dude,” Carey muttered, “Hope you know what you’re doing here.”

“Absolutely not,” Magnus responded, “Taako mentioned I haven’t worked all this out yet, right?”

A bell rang, and Magnus felt Carey jump out of the way as he was tackled.

Klaarg had him on the ground before he even knew what happened.  His reaction time was usually a lot better than this.  Magnus had a moment to realize that this was probably the fault of Taako’s curse before his face hit the mat.

A moment of white.  A moment of black.  His heart was beating in his head.  Then his vision returned.

Still asleep.

Magnus struggled against Klaarg’s huge furry hands, curling underneath him and kicking up with all his strength.  If this plan had any chance of working, he couldn’t get pinned.

Klaarg stumbled back into Killian, who put him in a bear hug hold by wrapping her arms around his chest.  With a jerk, she was able to lift him off the ground, but only a little.  Magnus took the chance to get to his feet, wiping sweat from his brow.  He had to make this convincing.

Climbing onto the turnbuckle, he took a flying leap towards Killian and Klaarg, landing across the bugbear’s torso in a diving crossbody.  Killian released him, and Magnus drove Klaarg down to the mat again.  The stage rattled, and Magnus winced.  He was thankful this  _ wasn’t _ real, that would have hurt Klaarg.

Killian broke away from him to help Carey, who was climbing up the side of the metal barricades as a way to escape from the Bulldog.  Magnus relaxed his body, knowing that Klaarg would be able to push him off if he was limp.  In a moment, he did.

“Magnus?” Klaarg mouthed.  It seemed he wasn’t expecting to be partnered up against.

“Punch me,” Magnus responded, putting his fists in the air.

Klaarg swung wildly with his right, and Magnus didn’t flinch.  He felt the fist make connection with his jaw, and he was sent reeling backwards.  Magnus hit the ropes, and checked his jaw quickly with a free hand.  Not broken.  Usual number of missing teeth.  He pulled away and looked at his fingers, and saw exactly what he was hoping to see.

Blood.

Bugbears were carnivores.  Some even cannibalistic.  It was a well known fact that they responded to the smell of blood with ferocity in the wild.  In the real world, Klaarg was far removed from that, but Magnus hoped that their conversation earlier had been a tell.

The look that Klaarg got in his eyes confirmed that.

Magnus felt a hand grab his shoulder, and turned to see Carey.  She gestured at Bulldog, who was working Killian’s stomach with some errant punches.  Magnus nodded, and grabbed her forearm with both hands.  With all his might, he spun quickly, lifting Carey into the air and releasing her to hurtle towards the Bulldog.  Tucking in her arms and legs, she hit him like a missile, knocking him over.

That moment that he looked away was enough time for Klaarg to decide what to do next.  He rammed into Magnus with his shoulder, pushing him hard against the turnbuckle.  The jolt made his vision go white for a moment.  Magnus wrapped his arms around Klaarg and dug his feet into the mat, pushing him back.  He had felt it, in that whiteness for a moment.  He had been close.  He focused all his strength into forcing himself awake

Still nothing.

_ Come on _ , Magnus thought.   _ Fucking  _ hit _ me. _

Carey had Bulldog on the mat, but probably not for long.  Killian ran over to the two hairy bear-men and did her best flying splash bodypress.  She hit both of them, because they were too entangled to separate, but hitting the mat caused them to let go of each other.

“Killian!” Magnus cried, scrambling to his feet, “I think I need him to do it!”

“What can I do?” she responded, cracking her knuckles.

“Make him angry.”

Killian made a move for the ropes, bouncing off and leaping into the air to drive her feet into Klaarg’s chest with a scissor kick.  He grabbed her legs and pulled her down with him, but she was able to brace herself and avoid hitting her head.  Magnus took the opportunity to climb the ropes again, leaping onto Klaarg with an elbow drop onto his chest.  He felt it make contact through his whole body, and Klaarg made a sound that seemed like he was in genuine pain.

“Magnus what the  _ fuck _ ,” he choked out, gasping for air.

“Klaarg,” Magnus spoke through his gritted teeth into the bugbear’s pointed ear.  “ _ Hit me harder! _ ”

Suddenly he felt his hair being grabbed from behind.  The Bulldog had gotten Carey off, and was dragging Magnus away.  It hurt, but not nearly as bad as it could.  Magnus twisted and grabbed Bulldog’s upper arm, wrenching as hard as he could to throw the wrestler over his shoulder.  Thankfully, Bulldog was caught off guard, and released him.

For a moment, Magnus suddenly became aware of the roar of the audience.

_ I.  Mor. Ko. _

_ I! Mor! Ko! _

They loved him.

But this was a dream.

He hunched forward, preparing himself to defend against Klaarg once more, who had gotten to his feet and was readying himself for an attack.  Bursting forward with an energy he didn’t even know he had, Klaarg came hurtling towards the fighter’s chest, preparing to knock him off his feet.

And then something... _unexpected_ happened.

Magnus ducked, hoping to avoid Klaarg’s attack, but as he felt the rush of wind and fur pass over him, he felt arms wrap around his waist, and he was pulled backwards off his feet.

The world seemed to freeze for a moment.  He was falling, and Klaarg was beginning to somersault underneath him.

He was going to flip Magnus over.

He was going to come down on top of the human, hard.

The sunset flip.

Time resumed again, and he found himself slammed against the mat with a thud, pinned under the hot weight of Klaarg.

As his head made contact, everything went white.

* * *

With a gasp, Magnus shot up.

It was dark.  He couldn’t see in any direction, and it was eerily silent.  He could feel nothing but cold.  He reached a hand out in front of him, but could not see it.  For a moment, he panicked.

Had he… died?

“Istus!” he cried out.

“Holy shit!”

A flurry of movement beside him.  A gentle light illuminated the space.

Magnus was sitting in a dark cave, surrounded by people lying around him, stirring gently from sleep.  Next to him, Taako was sitting up, holding a small flame aloft in his hand.  He looked irritated.

“My dude do you always  _ scream _ when you’re waking up?”

Magnus released a breath he was holding, and it came out like a laugh.  On the other side of him, Merle slowly rolled over.

“What’s going on?” he muttered, pushing up on his hands.

“We were asleep old man,” Taako hissed, “Been trying to wake you up for  _ days _ .”

Magnus blinked.  Had they made it?

Taako pinched him.

“Whoa hold on!” Magnus cried.  “Taako that hurts!”

“Mags you just got  _ suplexed _ , don’t be a baby,” Taako growled.

With that realization, Magnus released the tension he was holding in him, and he  _ hurt _ .  All over.  His neck, his arms, his back.  His  _ jaw _ .  He put a hand to his face and felt a tender bruise.  The Director had been right.  There had been repercussions.

Speaking of which.

“Good job Magnus,” came the Director’s calm voice from behind him.  “That was quite the show.”

“Thanks,” he said, looking around.  There didn’t appear to be anyone in this cave except them.  Carey and Killian were waking up too, curled around each other protectively.  A few other Bureau employees were scattered about (Magnus noted, with a bit of relief, that Angus wasn’t among them).  “We should get going.”

“Where are we anyway?” Killian asked, rubbing her neck.

“It’s a cave,” Magnus replied.  “We’ll be safer when we get outside.

They all helped each other to their feet, and followed the smell of fresh air back to the entrance of the cave.  Just as Istus had said, whoever had bewitched them had simply left them to die.  When they made it out, they all realized that they were all hungry and sore.  The Director said they had no way of knowing how long they had been out until they got back to headquarters.  Before long, they had summoned a glass ball, and were returning to the moon.

* * *

Based on what they had learned upon returning to the moon, Magnus had been asleep for a two weeks.  The others, slightly less.  They had been close, but not quite on death’s door.  But the Director still called for everyone who had been involved to take time off for rest and relaxation.

It took a few days for Merle to adjust to the idea that he had been asleep.  He barely remembered the dream at all, which Taako said was probably because he never fully realized it  _ was _ a dream.  He had been close at the end, but not fully aware.

Taako was glad to be back.  Anything was better than being Greg the Spotlight operator.

Magnus… Magnus wasn’t sure.

Of course not dying was by far the best part about this whole situation.  And he was thankful that he managed to get out of this with only a few injuries.  The hunger and pain were fixable.

His memories, not so much.

He knew that the dream had been made out of  _ his _ wishes and desires.  It had been made to make him happy.  And even though it was fake, rejecting that happiness stung.  Knowing his mind wanted something  _ beyond _ what he had hurt too.

And he did miss her.

“Hey my dude,” Taako said, sitting down next to Magnus on the floor of their common area.  “You want to talk about… things?”

Magnus shrugged.  “I’m just… it’s hard.”

“Well yeah,” Taako shrugged, putting a hand on Magnus’ knee.  “Magnus Burnsides, wrestler and family man, seemed to have a pretty sweet gig.”

“Yeah.”

Taako pat his knee in what was supposed to be a reassuring gesture, but coming from Taako it just felt strained.

“I’m glad you still chose us.”

Magnus looked at Taako.  Taako was smiling, and it was genuine.

“Magnus, I don’t know how much of that dream was real for you and how much was  _ just _ a dream,” Taako sighed.  “But I won’t forget that you gave up being happy to keep us all safe.  That was fucking  _ rad. _ ”

“I…” he laughed, “I’m happy here too, you know.”

They smiled at each other, and Taako rolled his eyes.

“Still… Not everyone would have done that for us… for me.”

Magnus found himself putting his own hand atop Taako’s.

“I’d rather spend the rest of my miserable life with you idiots than spend another  _ second _ in that lie,” Magnus affirmed.  “You and Merle and everyone here… you guys are my family.  That life I had in there… Sure, it’s what I wanted, but it’s not what I  _ needed _ .”

They spent the rest of the night sitting in silence.  But it wasn't unwelcome.  


* * *

_ The only way that anyone learns to be happy as an emissary of Istus is to learn that the Fate you are given is the one you were meant to have.   _

_ All other versions of you, all other paths you could have walked… they would not have resulted in  _ you.

_ Thank you for trusting me Magnus.  I know it was hard. _

_ Respect above all else.  Protect those who can't protect themselves.  Respect Justice. That's your deal, remember?  That was  _ our _ deal. _

_ You did your part admirably. _

_ I look forward to what you do next. _

_ I will always be watching you, Little Bear. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOW OKAY I LEARNED SO MUCH ABOUT WRESTLING WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH ALL THIS INFORMATION NOW THAT IT'S IN MY BRAIN.
> 
> Thanks everyone for sticking with me! Fight scenes are NOT my forte, so if it gets a little choppy in the wrestling portion, I'm sorry. I had a lot of fun with it though.
> 
> LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THOUGHT! I'm still really new to this and I'd love to hear what you liked.


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